Author: Marcie Shumway
Publication Date: February 2020
Cody
She was my childhood friend. The one person outside of my family that I
could always count on.
Fate drew us apart, but when my life was turned upside down, it brought us
back together.
And, much like when we were kids, she made it right again.
Payton had a way of soothing more than just the wounds that were skin
deep.
There’s one small problem, I’m not sure that I want to be just her
friend anymore.
Payton
He was my childhood friend. The one who always accepted me for me.
For years, I didn’t realize my life was missing anything and, then Cody
came back into it.
Just like when we were kids, he brought all the pieces back together. He
made me feel things
I didn’t know I could feel. How can I be his friend when I want so much
more?
I won’t be his buckle bunny.
Adjusting to very different lives, Cody and Payton need to decide if
what is between them is worth fighting for. From small towns to the big city,
they’re not the same people they once were.
Can a childhood friendship become so much more?
Only time will tell.
After all, 425 Madison is the perfect place to fall in love!
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My thoughts:
His Last Ride book 12 in the 425 Madison Avenue series. It's a friends to lovers/second chance romance. For the most part, I enjoyed the story, I thought the couple was cute together and their history made their romance more believable. I also appreciated the slow burn of the romance. The only part I didn't buy into was the "conflict" toward the end of the story. I felt like Payton's reaction was a bit over the top. I also didn't feel like there was enough time spent on Cody's clear PTSD and his quick ability to work through it. I think if the story had been longer, the transition wouldn't have been so abrupt. So, while not my favorite of the bunch, it's still a fun read and worth checking out.
Excerpt
Copyright @ Marcie Shumway 2020
“Come on, slowpoke!” I
yelled at the brown-haired fifteen-year-old
girl following me.
“Your legs are longer than mine,
jerk,” she retorted on a huff. “Slow down.”
I turned and checked on her, she
was climbing the hill easily behind me. Her face was flush from our run up the
lower portion, and her blue eyes sparkling. She looked more relaxed then I’d
seen her all summer. Normally, Payton, or Pay as I called her, was as laid back
as they came. This summer for some reason when she’d shown up, she’d been
different. More reserved.
“If we don’t hurry, we’re going
to miss it,” I chided, reaching my hand out for hers.
She looked up, and when she saw
my hand, her cheeks turned a darker shade of pink. I shook it with a ‘take it’
look on my face, with a roll of her eyes, she did intertwining our fingers. I
picked up the pace again and brought her along with me.
A minute later, we reached the top and plopped
down on the large rock. She broke the connection of our hands and sat on hers.
I missed it instantly, but let it go. As we’d gotten older, the simple things we
used to do together turned a little weird. I wasn’t sure why. We were friends.
“I’m going to miss this,” she
whispered wistfully, taking in the landscape.
We were sitting at the top of a
hill that overlooked some of the pastures on my grandparent’s property. It gave
us the perfect view of the mountains and the sunset. On the last day of the
summer, we would come up here and sit. We had flashlights in our backpacks for
the walk back.
“Me too,” I agreed. “But there
is always next summer.”
Payton had been coming to visit
her grandmother every summer since she was five. The two of us clicked
immediately. Our grandmothers started this tradition of bringing us up here, we
continued it on our own when we turned ten. Swearing we didn’t need them to
babysit us. Since it was only a mile
from one of the barns on our property, they hadn’t argued.
“Right,” she sighed sadly.
“Something you aren’t telling
me?”
“Not that I know of,” Pay
replied. “Mom is just acting weird when I bring up coming back. Told Gram we
would talk about it later.”
My breath caught. The idea of
not seeing her made my chest hurt. I counted on summers with Payton. Sure, I
had friends in school, but there was something about her. I didn’t have to put
on an act. I could just be me with her.
The sunset that night was beyond
amazing. Purples, pinks, reds, and oranges swirled together, putting on a show
that I’d never forget. When the colors started to fade and the sun started to
dip below the mountain in front of us, I felt Pay slide her hand back into
mine. I looked over and saw tears leaving trails down her face. Squeezing her
hand, I faced forward again and put up a silent prayer; this wouldn’t be the
last time we did this.
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Marcie Shumway
is a small-town girl, born and raised in Maine. She resides with her high
school sweetheart on a family-owned farm just miles from where she grew up. Her
hubby and their four furbabies are her first loves, but they are followed
closely by her writing, apple pie, and chocolate.
Marcie
started writing short stories in middle school for her classmates to enjoy.
They were always love stories with happy endings and spurred her dream of being
a published author. Chasing that dream as an adult, she continues to write
stories for her readers to love. An avid reader herself, Marcie thrives on the
books of her favorite authors and when not writing, can be found curled up in
her favorite spot with a good book in hand.
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